Monday, July 4, 2016

Medal of Honor Monday: William J. Crawford

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and
beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy near Altavilla, Italy,
13 September 1943. When Company I attacked an enemy-held position on
Hill 424, the 3d Platoon, in which Pvt. Crawford was a squad scout,
attacked as base platoon for the company. After reaching the crest of
the hill, the platoon was pinned down by intense enemy machine gun and
small-arms fire. Locating 1 of these guns, which was dug in on a terrace
on his immediate front, Pvt. Crawford, without orders and on his own
initiative, moved over the hill under enemy fire to a point within a few
yards of the gun emplacement and single-highhandedly destroyed the
machine gun and killed 3 of the crew with a hand grenade, thus enabling
his platoon to continue its advance. When the platoon, after reaching
the crest, was once more delayed by enemy fire, Pvt. Crawford again, in
the face of intense fire, advanced directly to the front midway between 2
hostile machine gun nests located on a higher terrace and emplaced in a
small ravine. Moving first to the left, with a hand grenade he destroyed
1 gun emplacement and killed the crew; he then worked his way, under
continuous fire, to the other and with 1 grenade and the use of his
rifle, killed 1 enemy and forced the remainder to flee. Seizing the
enemy machine gun, he fired on the withdrawing Germans and facilitated
his company's advance."

From Pvt. Crawford's Medal of Honor citation, awarded posthumously in 1945 when thought killed but when discovered to be a POW he would later be officially awarded by the president in 1984.